(Tennis news) Raducanu shortened her 2023 season so she could have several operations to address her wounds. At the ASB Classic this year, she returned to the game after a break of more than eight months.
Raducanu fought valiantly to win three sets after being paired against Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the opening round. In the following round, she took on Elina Svitolina. Although the British player was able to match her opponent point-for-point in the first set, she lost the match 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 1-6 in the decider.
After that, Raducanu was scheduled to face Naomi Osaka in a charitable match. But just to be safe, they both backed out of the planned competition.
For Rogers, 2023 was a year to forget for a variety of reasons. After losing in the first round of Wimbledon, she announced the end of her season. She had only won two tournaments when she had won back-to-back main draw matches before that.
The first occurrence occurred in the Charleston Open in April, followed by the Abu Dhabi Open in February. Rogers will now resume the tour following a six-month hiatus.
In their head-to-head meeting, Raducanu leads Rogers 1-0. At the US Open in 2021, she defeated him in straight sets. Both are making a comeback, while Raducanu—unlike Rogers—has already participated in a few matches. The latter will be playing for the first time in more than half a year. She also comes to Melbourne having lost her last five matches, her only triumph coming at the Madrid Open in April.
When Raducanu and Rogers faced each other previously, Raducanu easily defeated Rogers. This occurred in the midst of her 2021 US Open championship run. The British player proved unbeatable throughout the competition, winning all of her games—including the qualifying round—in straight sets.
